Big Shot’s Jessalyn Gilsig Compares Series to Glee

Disney+’s newest show, Big Shot, premiered today and follows John Stamos as Coach Marvyn Korn, a former college basketball coach who ends up teaching a girl’s high school team. In addition to Stamos, the show has a big cast which also includes Jessalyn Gilsig as assistant coach Holly Barrett. Gilsig has appeared in many shows and movies over the years, but many will probably recognize her best as Terri Schuester from Glee. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to chat with Gilsig about Big Shot and we pointed out how the show has similar themes to Glee, except with basketball instead of singing. Gilsig went on to share how it’s been a similar experience.

“Yeah, that’s such a good point. This is my third show set in a high school, ’cause I also did Boston Public many years ago,” Gilsig replied. “So yes, the environment is very familiar to me, and then I think you’re right that the parallel with Glee is really working with the young actors, and really the show being about them and their futures, and their potentials and their aspirations, and so, yeah, I do see a lot of parallels. I do think that Coach Holly likes the kids more than Terry did.”

While Gilsig doesn’t have to play basketball like the younger stars of the series, we also asked if she had any love for the sport.

“Yes, I’m a huge sports fan across the board,” Gilsig shared. “I might be the biggest sports fan on the show. I’m not gonna claim that yet, but you tell me if anybody else makes that claim, and yeah, I do love basketball. I actually just was watching the NCAA tournament this past week, which was super exciting. I played basketball when I was in high school. I don’t think I was a great basketball player. Not only am I not that tall, but I don’t think I was necessarily that good, but see, the thing for me when it comes to athletics, which is terrible, is that everything that I lack in skill, I make up for with delusion. So I like to think I’m really, really good at things. It’s really a problem. So yes, I’m very enthusiastic. The girls laugh at me all the time because I like to approach it as if I am a master of basketball because in my mind I am.”

Stay tuned for more from our interviews with the Big Shot cast! You can watch our chat with Jessalyn Gilsig at the top of the page. You can also watch our interview with Monique Green, Sophia Mitri Schloss, and Nell Verlaque here, Yvette Nicole Brown here, and another with Cricket Wampler, Tiana Le, and Tisha Custodio here.

Big Shot‘s first episode is now available to watch on Disney+.